Subsea processor for underwater drilling operations
AssigneeTransocean Innovation Labs Ltd.
InventorsJose Gutierrez, Luis Pereira
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A subsea processor may be located near the seabed of a drilling site and used to coordinate operations of underwater drilling components. The subsea processor may be enclosed in a single interchangeable unit that fits a receptor on an underwater drilling component, such as a blow-out preventer (BOP). The subsea processor may issue commands to control the BOP and receive measurements from sensors located throughout the BOP. The subsea processor may relay information to the surface for recording or monitoring. The subsea processor may also be programmed with a model from which to base operation of the BOP, such as in emergency conditions.
Claims22
A system comprising:
- one or more processor units, each including:
- a housing;
- a processor configured to be disposed within the housing;
- and
- an inductive power receiving device configured to be coupled to the processor and configured to be disposed within the housing, the inductive power receiving device configured to receive power for the processor through the housing and from a receptacle of an underwater drilling component, the receptacle being one of one or more receptacles of the underwater drilling component,
- each of the one or more receptacles:
- defining a volume configured to removably receive within the volume a respective one of the one or more processor units;
- including an inductive power transmitting device configured to transfer power to the inductive power receiving device of the respective processor unit;
- and
- positioned on the underwater drilling component to permit coupling of the respective processor unit to the receptacle from an exterior of the underwater drilling component;
- and
- at least one sensor;
- and
- a wireless communications system configured to permit communication between the at least one sensor and at least one of the one or more processor units,
- at least one of the one or more processor units being configured to control the underwater drilling component based, at least in part, on data captured by the at least one sensor.
A method of controlling an underwater drilling component, the method comprising:
- removably coupling a processor unit to a receptacle of the underwater drilling component from an exterior of the underwater drilling component, the processor unit including a housing and an inductive power receiving device contained within the housing, the removably coupling including disposing the processor unit at least partially within a volume defined by the receptacle;
- powering the processor unit through an inductive coupling with the receptacle by transmitting inductive power from an inductive power transmitting device to the inductive power receiving device;
- receiving, at the processor unit, data captured by at least one sensor of the underwater drilling component;
- and
- controlling, with the processor unit, the underwater drilling component based, at least in part, on data captured by the at least one sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.